Phonebloks

I’m not sure how feasible this idea really is, but it feels like sci-fi, so I’m in.

If you can’t watch the video (or want the Cliff Notes version), Phonebloks is the idea of making cell phones fully modular by turning the individual components (battery, camera, CPU, storage, etc.) into little blocks that you can easily swap out and rearrange on your phone. The primary purpose is to make phones upgradeable to cut down on ewaste, but it has the added benefit of making phones highly customizable.

The campaign behind the idea–and at this stage it’s just an idea–is almost as interesting as the idea itself. They’re using a platform called Thunderclap to try and attract attention to the idea. Thunderclap is basically like Kickstarter except that instead of contributing cash you commit to automatically update your FB status, sent out a Tweet, whatever to support an idea. So if you like the Phonebloks idea you can visit the website and join the supporters. Then, on October 29, you and everyone else who has signed up will automatically post an FB status (Tweet, whatever you sign up for) and it will hopefully signal that this is an idea people care about.